The Miami Heat closed out their series with the Pacers with a win on Monday. The Pacers delivered all but one of the Heat’s post-season losses to them; the other one came from Chicago Bulls. To me, all the games the the Heat won in this series were false wins because of bad calls, lucky shots, and/or their infamous “flopping”. I really hate this kind of playoff series in sports. The “dirty” team gets lucky and tries their best to cheat all the way through the series, but they win fair and square in the final game. In this case, one cannot accuse the Heat of anything…because they won fair and square. Now that the Heat has survived the Pacers, they will have to face the San Antonio Spurs, which is the team to beat in the playoffs this year. It will be a very interesting NBA Finals as the Heat come off of this epic win.

MMA (mixed martial arts) fighting is, to me, the ultimate form of (real) commercial fighting in the world today. At one time, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was the UFC champion. Now, he has stooped to a new low, and signed a contract with TNA Wrestling. I’d never want to get in a fight with this guy, but this is where he crosses the line. One does not simply leave his glory and fame in REAL fighting for something that is not even real, no matter how old he is. It would be as if Manny Pacquiao stopped boxing professionally and went back to the amateurs. Again, I would never challenge Jackson on the street (or anywhere for that matter), but this was the wrong move for him.

Gov. Dave Heineman hosted lunch Tuesday for members of the Omaha South High School boys’ soccer team in honor of their recent state championship.

After the lunch, members of the soccer team delivered a message to Gov. Dave Heineman.
Team members handed the governor a letter pointing out their concerns about his decision not to issue driver’s licenses to young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally by their parents.

The letter indicated team members were honored by the invitation to lunch at the governor’s mansion. But they felt it was important to let the governor know that they don’t agree with his decision not to grant driver’s licenses under a program called “deferred action for childhood arrivals.” Under the program, young people can receive temporary legal work status. Jen Rae Hein, a spokeswoman for Heineman, said the governor is required to follow state law. A 2009 law…

For those of you who do not know what a flop is in basketball, please watch this short video of Dwayne Wade “flopping” during Game 3 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is why I am not very fond of the Miami Heat. Not only does Dwayne Wade “flop”, but so does LeBron James, Mario Chalmers, and Chris Bosh. There is actually a recently established rule in the NBA intending to penalize “floppers” (if you will). By penalizing and or fining players who deliberately take part in these actions, the NBA wishes to somewhat prevent players from faking a foul. However, in my opinion, the NBA has done a poor job at enforcing this rule properly. Even though they have fined Miami’s Lebron James, and Indiana’s David West and Lance Stephenson for excessive “flopping” in Game 4, they have far from reached they’re goal of erasing it from the game itself.

I know, for a fact, that LeBron James and Dwayne Wade are better players than this. They are both former national champions. Both are MVP-caliber players WITHOUT flopping. For Wade, though, “flopping” is not a new concept. LeBron James seemed to adopt this practice after joining the Heat in 2010.

“Flopping” is destroying the quality and the integrity of the game. It plays games with the referees, and makes them look ignorant. It is a selfish and desperate act, and has no rightful place in the game of basketball.

As Memorial Day passes, summer is almost here. It always gets hot in Miami around this time of year, but this year, it is ESPECIALLY hot. Just eleven months ago, LeBron James led the Miami Heat to a national championship (his first). Now, James and company have a tied series on their hands at 2-2 with the Indiana Pacers. However, this is only the Eastern Conference Finals, not the National Championship. Meanwhile, the old-but-lethal San-Antonio Spurs will have close to two weeks to prepare for their next opponent, whether it be Indiana or Miami. If the Heat do indeed find a way to muddle through this series with two wins against Eddie George and the Pacers, they will still have to face the red-hot Spurs for the national title.

The Pacers are a tough, solid team that dominates the boards in every game, and has fire-power in Eddie George. The Heat do have a slight edge, however, in that the next two games are to be played on their home-court. I think that if Indiana can keep dominating the boards, maintain their composure, and continue to bring the heat TO the Heat, they can knock off the champs in two more games.